Prologue: Lindworm General Assembly

Prologue:
Lindworm General Assembly

 

“I hereby announce the commencement of the general assembly,” Aluloona declared solemnly.

Skadi noted out of the corner of her eye how serious Aluloona’s face was in this situation, instead of her typical erotomania.

“The first topic of discussion is—oh. It’s Loose Silk Sewing. Well then, let’s begin the deliberations. Are you all prepared?”

“Yup.”

“Mmm. Now then…”

It was autumn in Lindworm.

The second semiannual election was complete. The council members hadn’t changed. The extraordinary Hephthal, leader of the centaurs, was there representing Scythia Transportation.

The elderly Claudette, who controlled the arachnes, was there representing Loose Silk Sewing.

Lindworm Central Hospital’s dean of medicine, Dr. Cthulhy, was there, but looked as if she was about to fall asleep from fatigue.

Skadi was also stifling a yawn.

Every single member of the council was exceptional. Under Aluloona, the town would run smoothly. But Skadi also had a firm grasp of the other council members’ personalities. Even if they went a bit wild, Skadi could control them all.

Which was why she was bored.

“Ahhhh…”

But when she yawned in the middle of a council meeting, no one batted an eye.

Even if such a thing were to be reported in the newspaper, the headline would read something like, “Is the Draconess Tired?” or “This Just In: The Draconess’s Yawn Is Quite Cute!”

Living long was dull.

Thanks to Dr. Glenn, Skadi had resolved to try enjoying life again, but she couldn’t help but feel bored. She disliked conflict, but sailing on smooth waters every day was making her soft.

Everyone in the room would probably die before her.

Although she had resolved to address her ennui, she thought she should at least be allowed to yawn when she wanted to.

It was really rough when we were making this town. No one had been trained to run a city, and all our resources were in short supply.

The bored dragon began reminiscing about the past.

When she’d decided to build a city, she started by going to see the giant, Dione. She resolved the food situation by having Aluloona take care of agriculture. The undead were left in the care of the first-generation Molly, the hospital was entrusted to Cthulhy and her pupils, and so on.

Back then, Skadi had had to supervise every task. The fact that she could afford to yawn now was proof of how well things were going in the city, and she knew that, but she couldn’t help but lament her longevity.

“Hmph. Has everyone presented their opinions? In that case, Claudette will make the final decision. Now, the next topic is—oh. Is this from the graveyard district?”

“We would like to explain!” someone said, raising their hand.

In the most recent election, someone new had been granted a seat on the council—second-generation Molly of the graveyard district. She looked to be in high spirits today, and her normally wandering eyes were fixed on Skadi.

“A proposal? Sure, go ahead.”

“Thank you. We in the graveyard district would like to propose reinstating the harvest festival this autumn!”

“Oh, with the costumes…?”

The harvest festival had been started by the first-generation Molly as an annual tradition. It had been canceled the past few years for various reasons, and first-generation Molly had passed away before it was reinstated. Second-generation Molly, as the recipient of her bones, clearly wanted to continue her predecessor’s legacy.

“That sounds fun!”

“We can invite everyone on the continent! Our preliminary estimates predict a thirty percent increase in revenue! Therefore, according to the data we submitted—”

“Show me, Aluloona.”

Aluloona used her vines to pass the documents to Skadi. The Draconess looked it over, nodding. It was a general outline of the harvest festival, and it was thorough.

But…

“Hey, quiet! Silence, everyone!”

Unsurprisingly, the council had begun chattering among themselves. Molly had forgotten something critical, which would be especially upsetting to monsters with strong traditions.

“Aluloona, can you put together a budget?”

“Sure, but…what should we do about that?”

“Yes. That is a problem. Hey, Molly, did you get Murdrac’s permission?”

Molly stared back at her, blankly.

This was the reason the harvest festival hadn’t been held in many years.

“The vampire lord. He’s staying at your hotel.”

“He’s been there for a while, yeah. What about him?”

“We’ll need his permission if we’re going to do it. Otherwise, Lord Murdrac might throw a tantrum.”

Murdrac hated the noise and commotion of festivals. His complaints had ultimately led to the cancellation of the harvest festival.

“But…he’s just a guest at the hotel.” Molly was confused. “Why do we need his permission on a city matter…?”

“Perhaps you’re unaware, but Deadlich Hotel is the former manor of the Murdrac family. We’re only borrowing it to use as a hotel. Not only is Lord Murdrac not a guest, he’s the owner.”

“No one told me that…”

“He doesn’t like to leave, and he’s not being paid for use of the manor. But he still holds the title deed. The whole graveyard district was formerly part of the Murdrac family estate.”

“Y-yes, that was the case, but now the graveyard district belongs to Lindworm. It’s an important tourist attraction. I propose that allowing the council to be swayed by someone without a seat on said council is a violation of our bylaws. If the council decides to hold the harvest festival, then we should be able to convince Lord Murdrac.”

“You have a point. Let’s hear everyone’s opinion,” Skadi said casually.

“Fine, then.” Aluloona took out her fan and pointed it at those seated. “I put it to the council. All in favor of going ahead with the harvest festival, even against the wishes of Lord Murdrac, raise a hand, tentacle, or other appendage.”

Those in favor were the minority, most of them monsters who favored an individualist approach. On the other hand—or tentacle, or other appendage—those who were seen as leaders among their species, such as Hephthal and Claudette, were opposed.

Such was the influence vampires wielded.

“As you know,” Skadi started, “Lord Murdrac is living in seclusion. But just because he isn’t actively participating in the politics of Lindworm, it doesn’t mean we can ignore his authority. Molly, if you would like to reinstate the harvest festival, get him on board.”

“Orders…understood.”

Molly was flustered at this unexpected response.

“Mmm. That will be all on this issue. Next…”

Skadi shook her tail as Aluloona plowed through the agenda.

She’d already told Molly that they couldn’t hold the festival without the vampire’s permission. However, as she recalled the lively harvest festivals of years past, she couldn’t help but get her hopes up.

“Costumes… Candy…” she said under her breath, her boredom all but vanishing.

The Draconess couldn’t wait to celebrate a proper harvest festival again.